Commonly found variants; note these may range from acceptable alternatives to
non-standard forms or incorrect spellings*.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
* Singlish is a largely spoken creole, and as such descriptivism (recording forms that reflect actual pronunciation in spoken language, or as appearing in the linguistic corpus) is more pertinent than strict prescriptivism. Nevertheless, the use of more standard forms (or for words originating in languages with Latin script, such as Malay, accurate to the original spelling) is recommended and encouraged.
also can:
kalipok curry pok currypok
kali pok
→
Hokkien:
咖喱卜
poj:
ka-lí-pok
Detailed etymology
definitions
noun
- a curry puff, a fried pastry snack likely ultimately originating in the Spanish and Portuguese empanada, the Cornish pasty, or the Indian samosa.
- a quiff hairstyle, so named because the puffy, thick hair on top is reminiscent of a curry puff
synonyms:
usage notes
Similar to, and sometimes used synonymously for, the karipap and the epok-epok. Despite what many sources claim, kali pok is not a mispronunciation of 'curry puff' stemming from broken English, but rather the actual Hokkien term for the food.